HISTORICAL WALKING TOURS | BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
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    • Paul Revere's Row to Charlestown 4/18/1775
    • The Boston Massacre per the Pennsylvania Gazette
    • Paul Revere Lesson Plan
  • Revere Bells Index
    • The Stickney Revere Bell Listings of 1976
    • Ashby Mass. Revere Bell
    • Paul Revere Bell of Beverly
    • Revere Bells in Boston >
      • Paul Revere Bell Old South Meeting House
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    • First Parish Church of Kennebunk
    • Revere Bells in Maine
    • Revere Bell in Mansfield
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    • Revere Salem Mass Bell
    • Roxbury First Unitariarn Universalist Church and their Revere Bell
    • Revere & Son Bell, Savannah Georgia
    • Singapore Revere Bell
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      • History of the St John and Leavens Patriarchs
      • Samuel St John Jr Estate Genealogy
      • Authenticating the Revere Tuscaloosa Bell
      • Joshua B Leavens Last Will and Testament
      • 20th Century Tuscaloosa bell
    • Revere Bells Lost in Time
    • Revere Bells Washington DC
    • Revere Bell in Wakefield, Mass
    • Revere Bells Woodstock VT
  • Bostonians
    • Edward F Alexander of The Harvard 20th Civil War Regiment
    • Polly Baker
    • John Wilkes Booth
    • The Mad Hatter, Thomas, Boston Corbett who Killed John Wilkes Booth
    • Richard-Henry-Dana-Jr
    • James Franklin
    • Benjamin Harris of Publick Occurrences
    • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
    • William Lloyd Garrison
    • USS Thomas Hudner DDG116
    • Edward Hutchinson Robbins Revere
    • Amos Lincoln
    • King Philip
    • Mayor's of Boston
    • Mum Bett & Theodore Sedgwick
    • James Otis
    • Paul Joseph Revere
    • Reverend Larkin's Horse
    • John Rowe >
      • John Rowe's Diary Entries
      • John Rowe's Dinner Party
      • John Rowe and the Jail Fire
      • Hang John Rowe?????
      • John Rowe the Fisherman
      • Joh Rowe's Tea Ship
    • Be Proud to be Called a Lucy Stoner
    • Rachel Wall , Pirate
    • Paul Revere the Coroner of Boston
    • Deborah Sampson
    • Who was Mrs. Silence Dogood?
    • Dr. Joseph Warren's Dedication
  • History Blog
  • Lilja's of Natick
    • Lilja Brothers Military History
    • Lilja's Family Album
    • Memorials and Tributes to the Five Lilja Brothers
    • Lilja Family Tree
    • Lilja Historical Family Tree Documents
    • Lilja References
  • Collage of Boston
    • 4th of July Parade, Bristol RI
    • Boston Harbor
    • The Customs House
    • Forest Hills Cemetery
    • Georges Island
    • Nonviolent Monument to Peace - Sherborn
    • The Battle Road
    • Skate bike and scooter park
    • Cassin Young & USS Cassin Young
    • MIT
    • Historic Charles River
    • The Roxbury Standpipe on Fort Hill
    • John & Abigail Adams National Park
  • Boston's Racial History - Ante-Bellum

The Walk-up to the Boston Massacre
 John Rowe Finds Himself in the Middle
tuesday October 2, 1768, 
​
2 Days into the British Occupation


Picture
The walk up to the Boston Massacre began on Long Wharf, October 1, 1768.  Four British regiments supported by fourteen ships of the line landed to occupy Boston.  Their intent was to end mob rule and permit customs’ officials to collect taxes.  An explosion did not happen on the first day of occupation.  In fact, the British troops were expected and ignored.  In no time, the impact of 2,000 soldiers supported by 1,000 sailors among a Boston population of 15,000, became overwhelming and explosive.  By November the head count of the British Army in Boston would reach four-thousand, nearly the equal of the number of adult citizens of Boston. 

 To John Rowe, the second day of the occupation quickly challenged his loyalty to the “Crown”.  While sitting at the British Coffee House, with other loyal citizens and customs’ officials, he was orally accosted by Captain Dundass of the British Navy.  Here is John Rowe’s diary entry of the conversation;
​
              “Ha John are you there—Dammy I expected to have heard of your being hanged before now, for Dammy You deserve it”.  Captain Dundass confirmed to John he was not joking.  Dundass continued on, “Damn Incendiary . . . I shall see you hanged in your Shoes. . . .” [i]

John Rowe was a wealthy merchant. He immigrated to Boston with his brother.   It appears they arrived before 1740 and they came with wealth.  He was quick to capitalize on his position as a merchant by providing the British Admiralty with space to rent in his warehouse.  It became convenient to store and purchase provisions for the Navy.  He was active in criticizing the customs’ officials use of their office for personal gain. [ii]  Yet, he was a loyal Englishman until March 17, 1776, as the British evacuated Boston and ransacked his warehouses.

John Rowe maintained his balance through the critical events that lead to the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party by working with everyone regardless of their political disposition.
  1. His warehouse at Rowe’s Wharf was rented by the British Admiralty as their administrative headquarters for North America.  He housed gunpowder for the British military. 
  2. He rented two houses to British officers, each for 20 pounds sterling per year.  In today’s dollar, this would be $3,589.96, for a year’s rental.  It is probable John could not elicit this amount from a local citizen.  To his benefit, British officers often came with hard currency.
  3. General Thomas Gage and Loyalist, James Oliver, lawyer, treasurer, stamp tax administrator and Thomas Hutchinson Assistant Governor, were often dinner guests. 
  4. Yet it was well known that John associated with the radical merchants and lawyers, like James Otis, William Molineux, John Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere.
 
In our blog, we will continue to provide abstracts similar to this on the events leading to the Boston Massacre.  If you wish to follow us, please enter your contact information to our mailing list on any page within, http://www.walkbostonhistory.com/.
 

[i] John Rowe’s extensive Diary from 1759-1779, (1763 has yet to be found).
Google Scholar:  https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KhOj0RMfDz0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA61&dq=John+Rowes+Diary&ots=u2vw3Lqpek&sig=OJQdds0enY6tnfkro3CRZZR970Y#v=onepage&q=John%20Rowes%20Diary&f=false

[ii] http://www.celebrateboston.com/biography/john-rowe.htm

​



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  • Freedom Trail Tours
    • In The Footsteps of Paul Revere
    • Freedom Trail Audio Tour
    • The Boston Massacre Tour
    • Boston Civil War Tour
    • The Boston Massacre Lesson Plan
    • Paul Revere's Neighborhood
    • Paul Revere's Row to Charlestown 4/18/1775
    • The Boston Massacre per the Pennsylvania Gazette
    • Paul Revere Lesson Plan
  • Revere Bells Index
    • The Stickney Revere Bell Listings of 1976
    • Ashby Mass. Revere Bell
    • Paul Revere Bell of Beverly
    • Revere Bells in Boston >
      • Paul Revere Bell Old South Meeting House
    • California's 2 Paul Revere Bells
    • Paul Revere & Son's Bell Westborough Massachusetts
    • Falmouth, Massachusetts
    • Revere Bell Fredericksburg VA
    • Revere Bell Hampton NH
    • First Parish Church of Kennebunk
    • Revere Bells in Maine
    • Revere Bell in Mansfield
    • Revere Bell of Michigan
    • Revere Salem Mass Bell
    • Roxbury First Unitariarn Universalist Church and their Revere Bell
    • Revere & Son Bell, Savannah Georgia
    • Singapore Revere Bell
    • Tuscaloosa Bell >
      • History of the St John and Leavens Patriarchs
      • Samuel St John Jr Estate Genealogy
      • Authenticating the Revere Tuscaloosa Bell
      • Joshua B Leavens Last Will and Testament
      • 20th Century Tuscaloosa bell
    • Revere Bells Lost in Time
    • Revere Bells Washington DC
    • Revere Bell in Wakefield, Mass
    • Revere Bells Woodstock VT
  • Bostonians
    • Edward F Alexander of The Harvard 20th Civil War Regiment
    • Polly Baker
    • John Wilkes Booth
    • The Mad Hatter, Thomas, Boston Corbett who Killed John Wilkes Booth
    • Richard-Henry-Dana-Jr
    • James Franklin
    • Benjamin Harris of Publick Occurrences
    • Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
    • William Lloyd Garrison
    • USS Thomas Hudner DDG116
    • Edward Hutchinson Robbins Revere
    • Amos Lincoln
    • King Philip
    • Mayor's of Boston
    • Mum Bett & Theodore Sedgwick
    • James Otis
    • Paul Joseph Revere
    • Reverend Larkin's Horse
    • John Rowe >
      • John Rowe's Diary Entries
      • John Rowe's Dinner Party
      • John Rowe and the Jail Fire
      • Hang John Rowe?????
      • John Rowe the Fisherman
      • Joh Rowe's Tea Ship
    • Be Proud to be Called a Lucy Stoner
    • Rachel Wall , Pirate
    • Paul Revere the Coroner of Boston
    • Deborah Sampson
    • Who was Mrs. Silence Dogood?
    • Dr. Joseph Warren's Dedication
  • History Blog
  • Lilja's of Natick
    • Lilja Brothers Military History
    • Lilja's Family Album
    • Memorials and Tributes to the Five Lilja Brothers
    • Lilja Family Tree
    • Lilja Historical Family Tree Documents
    • Lilja References
  • Collage of Boston
    • 4th of July Parade, Bristol RI
    • Boston Harbor
    • The Customs House
    • Forest Hills Cemetery
    • Georges Island
    • Nonviolent Monument to Peace - Sherborn
    • The Battle Road
    • Skate bike and scooter park
    • Cassin Young & USS Cassin Young
    • MIT
    • Historic Charles River
    • The Roxbury Standpipe on Fort Hill
    • John & Abigail Adams National Park
  • Boston's Racial History - Ante-Bellum